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In a proposal tabled before the standing committee, the civic administration has proposed to increase the restoration charge to Rs 2,600 per metre from the existing rate of Rs 1,900 per metre.
The PMC will also now charge Rs 2,600 per metre instead of Rs 1,900 per metre for laying open cables, Rs 3,600 per metre instead of Rs 2,900 per metre for laying cables covered with PVC pipes and Rs 4,500 per metre instead of Rs 3,800 per metre for laying cables covered with RCC pipes.
It further said those digging up roads illegally will have to pay thrice the actual charge. “Road digging without permission of PMC will be regularised if the agency or person concerned paves it back and pays thrice the amount charged for digging up the area,” it said. The earlier penalty was twice the charge for digging the road.
The proposal also clarified that the MSEDCL demand of decreasing the charges for its infrastructure development projects has been ruled out for now. The power utility had complained that the charges of PMC were too high and it was not possible for them to pay it.
The PMC had replaced the overhead electricity wires with underground cables hoping to recover the expenditure from MSEDCL as it was the responsibility of the power utility. However, the MSEDCL had refused to pay the amount.
Panel report by March
The Kelkar Committee has been appointed by the state government to prepare a report on imbalances in development of regions in the state and evaluate expectations of stakeholders. The report to be submitted by March 31, 2013 is likely to influence the state’s policies. The committee has six sub-groups covering aspects such as health, education, infrastructure and water. They had noted that urbanisation had changed the demography of the Pune city. “What the city was known for has changed due to migration and the earlier panels that gave reports on regional imbalance did not cover the new challenges such as demographic change, sanitation and industrialisation,” Kelkar has noted.
